Tractor.



C. F. MEGOW.

TRACTOR.

APPLICATEON mm MR. 15. 19:1

Patented July 16, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

CPQ P163 F JTlegow,

C. F MEGOW.

TRACYOR.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. I6. 191?.

1 ,272,491. Patented July 16, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' 61mm we CHARLES F. MEGOW, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

spectnultlon at Letters Patent. Patented July 16. 1918.

Application filed March 16, 1917. Serial No.,155,165.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. Mnoow, a citizen of the United States of America, residiu 'at Detroit, in the county of \Vayne and tate of Michigan, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Tractors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the ac companying drawings.

This invention relatesio tractors, and the primary object of my invention is to vide a tractor having gearing mechanisms embodied inthe wheels thereof and associated with these mechanisms is a novel steering or controllin r mechanism that permits of the speed 0 one wheel being increased and the speed of another wheel retarded and in this manner the tractor is steered or guided in a desired direction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a tractor construction wherein the rear axle rear wheels and power transmitting mechanism have all parts compactly assembled and constructed with a view of retiming the cost of manufacture.

My nvention will be hereinafter described and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan of the tractor;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan of the tractor, partly broken away and partly in section, and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a tractor wheel, partly in section.

In describing my invention by aid of the views above referred to, I desire to point out that the same are intended as merely illustrative of an example by which my invention may be put into practice, and I do not care to confine myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown. The following description is therefore to be broadly construed as including such substitute constructions and arrangement of parts which are the obvious equivalent of those to be hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings, 1 denotes a frame provided with a power plant 2, a drive shaft 3, and the end of the frame I is supported by one or more pony wheels 4.

5 denotes a cylindrical or hollow housing or rear axle at the opposite end of the frame 1, and journaled in the housing is a semifioating driven shaft 6 having a beveled gear wheel 7 meshing with a beveled gear wheel 8 on the drive shaft 3.

9 denotes a cap on each end of the housin or rear axle 5 and each cap has a eriphera flange 10 and an inner hub memh of the driven shaft 6 extending therethrough.

13 denotes anti-frictional bearings, in the inner hub member 11 supportin the ,end of the driven shaft 6, and these ratings are retained in place by a 'plate 14 suitably connected to the end of the inner hub member 11. c

15 denotes a large gear wheel rotatable on the flange 10, said gear wheel having a sleeve 16 free to revolve on the inner hub member 11. The outer end of the sleeve 16 has a gear wheel 17.

18 denotes an outer hub member free to revolve on the sleeve 16 of the large gear wheel 15, and this outer hub member is part of one of two wheel members 19 and 20 spaced apart and disposed in parallelism. The wheel members 19 and 20 have peripheral flanges 21 riveted or otherwise connected to tread pieces 22 and said wheel members are furthermore connected by tie rods 23 adjacent a drum or casing 24 between said wheel members, said drum or casing being fitted on circumferentiallfy disposed flanges 25 on the confronting aces of the wheel members.

26 denotes a plurality of shafts mounted in the wheel members 19 and 20 and on these shafts are double gear wheels, each having a small gear wheel 27 meshing with the ar wheel 17, and a large gear wheel 28. he large gear wheels 28 mesh with a gear wheel 29 fixed on the outer end of the driven shaft 6, and easy access is had to the outer end of the driven shaft by removing a cap 30 connected to the outer wheel member 20.

31 denotes bearings forming part of the caps 9 and 32 denotes bearings carried by the housing or rear axle 5. Journaled in the bearings 31 and 32 are longitudinally alinin shafts 33 having the outer ends thereo provided with small gear wheels 3% meshing with the large gear wheel 15. The confronting ends of the shafts 33 have beveled gear wheels 35 and meshing with these beveled gear wheels is a horizontally diser 11 be-. sides an openmg 12 that permits of the endposed ear wheel 36 on the lower end of a vertica 1y disposed shaft or steering column 37 that is journaled in a bearing 38, carried by the frame 1. The upper end of the shaft or column 37 has a suitable hand wheel 39.

In operation, the large gear wheels 15, small gear wheels 34, shafts 38, beveled gear wheels 35 and column 37 'remain stationary and power is transmitted to the traction wheels from the driven shaft 6 through the central gear wheel 29, double gear wheels 28 and 27 and the normally stationary gear wheels 17.

By rotating the shaft or steering column 37, the large gear wheels 15 will be revolved in different directions, consequently the gear wheels 17 will be rotated in opposite direc tions and one gear wheel willtend to reduce the speed of one of the traction wheels, while the other gear wheel will increase the speed of its traction wheel. In this manner the tractor may be steered and guided through the earing mechanism located within the traction wheel. To reduce the weight of these wheels the wheel members 19 and 20 are cut away to provide :1 spoke formation, and any suitable tread members may be mounted upon the peripheries of the wheel members.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the tractor or vehiclehas a semifloating driven shaft and that since the load is carried by the inner wheel members it is possible remove a diflerential or reduction gear mechanism and still sustain the load. In other words, the gearing mechanism is not subjected to any stresses or strains due to the load on'thc vehicle frame. It will also be noted that the power plant may be located at. any place about the housing or rear axle part.

36, and the shaft or steering t the ends thereof.

What I claim is: 1. In a tractor, traction wheels gearing -mcchanism in each wheel, meansforoperating said gearing mechanism, and manually actuated means common to said gea1'ing mechanisms adapted for regulating .lhe speed of said wheels.

'2. In a tractor, a frame. a housing supporting said frame, traction wheels atdihe ends of said housing. a semitloating driven shaft extending through said lionsii lginto said traction wheels, gearing mechanisms at the ends of said shaft and operated-thereby for imparting movement to saiihtraction wheels, and means operatable relat ire to each gearing mechanism adapted for simultane onsly controlling the speed of each wheel.

3. In a tractoi. housing, traction wheels a scmifloating driven shaft extending through said housing lHiU said wheels, agcaring mechanism in each wheel operated b said shaft adapted for illlparting movement to said traction wheels, each gearing nu-chanism including a manually adjusted gear wlioel adapted for rog c lating the speed of the gearing mechanism.

4. In a tractor. a frame, a housing su p porting said frame, a semitloating driven shaft extending through said housing. traction wheels supporting the ends of said housing, a variable speed mechanism in each wheel operated b said semifioating driven shaft. and means carried by said frame common to said wheels for controlling the vari able spccd mechanism in each traction wheel.

in testimony whereof I ailix my signatnrc in the presence of two witnesses.

(l-l A R LES l". M EGd )W.

\Vitnesscs Kaxi. ll. liu'rmzu (n.w. W. Hmurrrorzn. 

